Reversal
by pardonwink
Summary: While shard hunting, Kagome finds a strange statue. She finds herself obsessed with it, but she isn't the only one. Not your typical plot...no matter how it might first appear. :
1. Chapter 1

**Reversal**

**A/N**: Hello, thar! This chapter is tame. They get increasingly not tame. I will warn you in advance when this occurs. Meanwhile, enjoy…or something.

**Chapter One**: The Switch

"What is it?" Kagome asked, hands on her dirty knees, as she peered at the funny looking statue.

Inuyasha shrugged and nudged it with a claw. Nothing happened. The statue, made of green jade, just smiled up at them. It had two faces. One was grinning like an idiot, the other had a deep scowl.

"Feh. It's just some stupid statue. I thought you said you sensed jewel shards, wench?"

"I did! Or…I sensed something weird."

Inuyasha huffed, making his way out of the small cavern into the dappled sunshine. "Bah! You're always wasting time! I swear if I…" his voice trailed off as she crashed through the woods.

Kagome sighed and ran a finger over the smooth, little statue. It was kind of cute in an ugly sort of way. Maybe she would take it and give it to Souta. He'd probably like it. But as her skin touched the cold surface, she shivered.

"Yeah, great idea. It could be enchanted or something. I give it to Souta and he turns green."

Reluctantly, she left it there.

Inuyasha continued to pout and mope, but Kagome just ignored him. His foul mood was not going to bring her down today. The weather was nice and cool, it was a beautiful sunset and her belly was full.

When they settled in for the night, Kagome snuggled into her sleeping bag and sighed. She was tired.

She had the same thought three hours later.

"Can't sleep," she mumbled to herself.

Her thoughts kept wheeling back to that silly statue. I should just go back and get it. I'm sure it's fine. She told herself as she slid out of her sleeping bag and crept over to her sleeping bag. Carefully, she withdrew a flashlight and snuck back to the cavern.

Her first thought upon entering the cavern was relief. There it was, shining brightly in the light from her small flashlight.

Her second thought never had the chance to arrive. As she grasped the statue, another hand snaked out and grabbed it.

In her shock, she dropped the flashlight, shattering the bulb. Something was growling at her in the thick darkness.

"How dare you touch what is mine?" Came a smooth, silky, decidedly male voice.

Kagome could not answer. Her heart was in her mouth. Later, she would chalk it up to her impulsiveness…but she tugged. Hard.

The figure holding the statue moved so that a bright shaft of moonlight fell over his face.

Sesshomaru!

I must be suicidal! Kagome thought as she gave the statue another little tug.

"Let go, wench!" Sesshomaru's voice was a hiss through his clenched teeth.

In fascination, she watched the muscles bunch and twitch at his neck. Then he tugged with all his might. Logically, the statue should have been wrenched from her grasp. It was small, slippery, and Sesshomaru had her beat in the strength department. Instead, Kagome crashed into him, bruising her shoulder on his spiked armor.

In horror, Kagome tried to let loose of the statue. She couldn't. She jerked, pulled, used her other hand to try to pry her fingers. Nothing.

Her attention was purely focused on letting go of the stupid thing, so focused, she did not notice that Sesshomaru found himself in the same predicament.

"This Sesshomaru grows weary of your game, human. Let go now and I may consider making your death relatively painless."

"I can't!" Kagome cried, holding it at arm's length, trying to get as far away from the enraged demon lord as possible.

"Liar!" he spat.

Kagome was about to protest that she was not a liar, that she was, above all else, an honest person, when a hard kick to her stomach cut off her ability to extol her virtues.

The pain was brief. Kagome was pleasantly surprised until she thought that maybe he'd ruptured her spleen and she was bleeding internally and in shock or something.

She straightened and took a deep breath. Everything seemed in order, and nothing hurt.

"Look," she began. "I don't know wha-" She stopped. Her voice was wrong. Very wrong. It was all deep and masculine. Kagome looked down with an increasing sense of dizzy vertigo and saw herself staring up at her.

Putting a shaking hand to her forehead, she noticed that not only was the statue gone, but she had claws and magenta stripes on her wrist.

"What have you done, you wretched filth?" The voice sounded so weird.

Kagome always hated how her voice sounded. At home, she would cringe when her mother would play the answering machine and she would hear her own voice saying something about forgetting the milk, being late, etc.

She cringed this time too, and looked down. Shrieking, she flew backwards so quickly she lost her balance and fell on her rump. She was staring at herself.

"No, no, no, no, no," she kept repeating in that smooth, deep voice. Her eyes trailed down to her chest. She gagged. She would ponder how she got into Sesshomaru's armor later.

"Okay! No need to panic!" She said as brightly as she could muster. She held out her arms in front of her, to get a good look at them. Them? Nope. She only had one arm. Just one.

"Oh, I'd say panic is quite appropriate," said the girl who was her, the tone icy, the eyes narrowed, arms crossed over her chest.

Kagome swallowed at the lump in her throat. "Sesshomaru?"

She fought back a hysterical giggle as she watched her body stomp over to where she sat on the ground.

"Remedy this travesty this instant!" Sesshomaru did not raise his voice, and even with the feminine lilt, it retained all of his usual cold malice.

Kagome shivered. "I didn't do this! Maybe you did?" She offered him a rueful smile, which only seemed to enrage him further.

He jabbed a finger at her, complete with dirty nails covered in pink, chipped polish. Kagome had always really liked that shade…

Sesshomaru just stared at the finger, eyes wide, mouth slack. "I'm human," he breathed, sounding almost heartbroken. "I'm human…and female." His eyes snapped up to her face. Kagome recoiled at the burning hatred she saw there.

"Give me my swords."

Kagome stood, staggering a little. Her body felt heavy and light at the same time…and she had to fight the sudden urge to look down her pants. She shook her head.

"No way, mister."

"Now!"

Kagome's hand went awkwardly to the pommel of one of his swords. "Why?"

"I'm going to kill us both," he hissed, balling his small hands into white knuckled fists.

"No! Maybe there's some way to reverse this. Let's just stay calm."

His arms were shaking.

"Calm," she repeated.

Kagome scanned the floor of the cavern, looking for that ridiculous statue. "Where did it go? Do you see the statue, Sesshomaru?"

She gave herself a mental pat on the back for staying so collected. Instead of curling up into a ball and sobbing like she wanted to, she made plans. Yes, plans were good. She would find the statue and they would just repeat what they had done before. If that did not work, maybe they could rub it or ask it nicely. She made no plans after that.

"How should I know? I'm practically blind. Your eyesight is truly pathetic, wench."

"Yeah well, most humans can't see too good in the dark, Sesshomaru," she huffed. "Where is it? It couldn't have just disappeared!"

Plans ruined. Cue panic.

She fanned herself, taking deep breaths, trying not to cry. Inhaling so deeply caused her to catch a whiff of something. Blood?

Sesshomaru was digging his nails into his palms. Blood trickled between his fingers…her fingers!

"Hey!" She shouted, jumping a little at the boom of her voice. "Be careful! You don't see me clawing your eyes out or anything! And believe me, I'd like to."

His eyes slid to her face, lips curling in a sneer. Kagome wondered if she had ever looked that hateful. "Harm my body in any way, and so help me I'll-"

"Ha! You'll what? You're just a weak human now, remember?" Kagome let the barb fly before thinking about it. She did not want to be mean, but he really made it easy.

The sneer disappeared and Sesshomaru's face paled. "This cannot continue," he stated flatly, dropping to his hands and knees, fingers blindly searching the floor of the cavern.

"It's no use. I can't see it anywhere. Let's go get some help. Maybe Miroku or Inuyasha-"

Sesshomaru scrambled to his feet and rushed her. He put his finger in her face again. "No! No one must know of this. Ever. We will find a solution."

Kagome waved a hand at him, reveling for a moment in the feel of the air between her now powerful fingers. "How bout…no. You hate me, I trust you as far as I could throw you…wait…I guess that would be pretty far now, huh?"

Sesshomaru snarled.

"Right, sorry. Anyway, we are going to need some help."

Kagome watched as Sesshomaru widened HER eyes and stuck out HER bottom lip. He even gave a good chin quiver. Then, much to her utter confusion, he clasped his hands under his chin and batted his eyelashes at her.

"Oh, Inuyasha!" his voice was sickly sweet. Simpering even.

_Hey! I don't simper…do I? _

He went on. "Thank heavens you're here! Sesshomaru was going to kill me!"

"Whoa! Hey! That's not fair!"

Sesshomaru smirked. "Perhaps I should do that anyway. My half brother would attack you, and you might just be forced to kill him."

"Or, you know, I have a better idea. Maybe I'll just let him kick my ass all over the place. Oooh! Maybe he can chop off your other arm!"

"You wouldn't," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, I just might. But," she said with a heavy sigh. "I do see your point."

He arched a brow at her.

"This is really an unbelievable situation. Inuyasha comes in here and sees us…like this? Holy crap. He'll kick ass and ask questions later." She tapped her chin with a clawed finger.

"Got any suggestions, Sesshomaru? Any ideas? I can't think of anyth-"

"Cease your prattling, wench. I can't think."

"You know, you can't really call me a wench right now."

He ground his teeth. Her teeth. The ones her mother had just spent thousands of yen on getting those cavities filled.

"Stop grinding my teeth, Sesshomaru." To show him how serious she was, she unsheathed Tenseiga and held it up to his long, flowing, silver hair. Wow, she thought. He has great hair.

He stopped grinding. Kagome smiled.

Her now super sensitive ears picked up steps in the underbrush outside the cavern. She took a deep breath. Inuyasha!

"Oh dear. You better think fast, Sesshomaru."


	2. Chapter 2

Reversal

Chapter 2: I've Got You Under My Skin

A/N: Just some language…nothing major. Reviews are cool too…just sayin'.

"Wench?" Sesshomaru said to the darkness. The darkness decided not to answer him.

She was gone. Gone with HIS body. Not that he could blame her. After all, getting a powerful body after only knowing weak, human flesh…well, he would run away too.

But that did not change the fact that he was going to kill her once he was in possession of his own skin. Never mind the how.

He quickly suppressed the urge to go chasing her after taking two steps towards the mouth of the cavern. Even walking felt heavy. He felt heavy and slow. Worthless. Weak. There was no way he could keep up with the girl, not while she ran with his body.

Sesshomaru could not even hear properly. He felt as though his head was shoved in the dirt. Every sense was dimmed to the point of near non-existence. He growled…well, he tried to. Pathetic.

As he exited the cavern, stubbing his toe on a rock he could not see, he nearly ran into his bumbling half brother.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha grabbed him by the shoulders.

Sesshomaru jerked out of his grasp, lips curling over his teeth.

In disgust, he watched the hanyou scent the air. Inuyasha's eyes grew wide in alarm. "Sesshomaru was here. Did he hurt you?"

Sesshomaru watched as the fool's eyes softened and his tone dropped to one of care and concern. Inuyasha's hand brushed along his arm, and once again, Sesshomaru pulled away.

"Keep your filthy hands off me," he snarled.

"Kagome? What's the matter with you?"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. _This could work to my benefit. _Though he was not sure how yet. _Patience_, he told himself. _Opportunity presents itself to those who wait._

He shook his head. "Nothing. Forgive me. I am just tired."

Inuyasha did not seem convinced. "Yer sure actin' weird." But then he shrugged, again having the audacity to touch Sesshomaru.

The hanyou's hand was at the small of his back, guiding him through the dark woods. Sesshomaru swallowed down a scathing insult and resisted the urge to fling himself away from his hated sibling's touch.

_I must play the part of my half brother's wench until I devise a way out of this mess_, he nodded to himself_. But that half-breed has another thing coming if he tries to bed me. I'll rip his throat out. _

"Did you see him?"

Sesshomaru frowned. "See who?"

"My asshole brother, that's who!" Inuyasha stopped walking and sniffed the air in front of Sesshomaru's face. "I can smell him all over you!" The hanyou's eyes narrowed.

Disaster. Disaster was looming.

Sesshomaru waved a hand. "Oh. That. I bumped into your esteemed brother. Nothing more. He showed unbelievable mercy and restraint and decided to let me live."

"Esteemed? What the hell are you talking about?"

Sesshomaru snorted. "I need not explain anything I say to you. Hadn't we better head back to our camp now? You seem to forget I am weak and human and require rest."

"Feh, I couldn't forget if I wanted to. Come on."

He was surrounded by prattling idiots. The two humans stood over him, TOUCHING him, asking him stupid questions, and generally invading his very personal space. Sesshomaru ground his teeth, but quickly stopped when he remembered how that wench had threatened to give him a haircut. That was not acceptable.

"Kagome, are you sure you're okay?" The human female, the demon exterminator, asked him…again.

"I said I was, didn't I? Are you hard of hearing? Stupid? Should I speak more slowly so that you can understand?" He let the smirk curl his lips.

The female stiffened, her warm eyes growing cold. She withdrew her hand from his shoulder, opened her mouth to say something, then snapped it shut and stormed off in a huff. _Excellent, perhaps now they'll leave me alone. _

But fate was indeed cruel.

The fox kit, that traveled with his ridiculous half brother, bounded into his lap, and snuggled against his chest. He had to ball his hands into fists to keep from smacking the presumptuous creature.

"What's the matter Kagome?" The kit asked, looking up at him with big, shimmering eyes.

"I think she must've hit her stupid head or something," Inuyasha said from his perch in a tall tree. "She's being even bitchier than usual."

Setting down the kit with more gentleness than he wanted to, Sesshomaru stood. "This Sess…I…I wish to be alone."

He did not give them time to argue before bounding off as fast as he useless human legs would carry him

Silence. Beautiful, serene, silence. He breathed a deep sigh of relief and stretched his legs out in front of him. His scantily clad legs.

Sesshomaru grimaced. It was bad enough being trapped in the body of a human female, but did she have to be a hussy as well? Surely, only a woman with loose moral character would dress so…provocatively.

"Psssst!" Came a sharp hiss from behind him. Instinctively, he reached for Toukijin, only to find…no weapons at all.

_Damn! _He thought as he sensed a rather powerful surge of youki. His muscles tensed, preparing for the inevitable evisceration.

"Sesshomaru, it's me, Kagome." He watched as his body stepped into the clearing. She gave him a twitchy smile. He felt sick.

"You shouldn't be so mean to my friends. Would it kill you to play nice for just a little while?"

He mulled this over. "Yes," he said.

She plopped down beside him and heaved a big sigh. Sesshomaru decided he hated the way she made his face look…you know, stupid.

"I have an idea how to get away from them for awhile."

His interest was piqued. "Is that so?"

"Yeah…just tell Inuyasha you want to go home for a couple weeks. If he argues too much you can just tell him to-" she stopped the next thing she was going to say by clapping her hand over her mouth.

"Tell him to what, wench?"

Kagome chuckled nervously. "Oh nothing…"

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a while with Sesshomaru shooting her the occaisional hateful glare. Kagome shifted, jiggling her foot. _Oh man, _she thought_, I have to pee! _She'd had to for the better part of an hour, but discovered taking armor off with one hand was something she could not do, and said armor blocked her…manly parts. Chewing her lip, she mustered up the courage to ask Sesshomaru for help.

"Sesshomaru?"

He did not respond, but merely slid his eyes to hers and sneered.

"I uh…I sorta…well no. I really, really have to, um, you know…go."

"Go? And where do you have to go, bitch? Why don't you just admit you plan on keeping my body for yourself? Stop all this pretense of 'helping me'."

Kagome shook her head. "Not that kind of go."

"What are you trying to say?"

Squeezing her eyes shut, ignoring the heat in her cheeks (though she briefly wished she had a mirror to see Sesshomaru's face with a blush), Kagome swallowed. "I have to pee, dammit!"

Shocked silence.

Sesshomaru finally spoke. "And you saw fit to tell me this? I care not."

"I um…I can't undo your armor with one hand." She peeked at his face through a curtain of silvery, white hair, and had she not been so utterly mortified, she would have laughed at his incredulous expression.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Surely, you are not suggesting that I assist you. Surely, you are not heaping yet another indignity upon me."

"Sorry," she mumbled. "But if you don't, I'm going to pee my pants. Then everyone who sees the Great Lord Sesshomaru will think he wee wees his britches. A little indignity now, or a whole lot more later. Your choice."

Kagome stood and waited as Sesshomaru internally fought himself. She saw his shoulders sag in defeat and he came to her and hastily undid all the straps and buckles. The armor fell to the ground in a heap.

Kagome fidgeted.

"What? You want me to hold it for you?" He smirked.

"I just feel…awkward. I've um…never seen one in real life. And it is yours. I feel funny touching it. I don't even want to look at it."

He chuckled softly, surprising her. She did not think him capable of chuckling. "Never seen one? I find that hard to believe."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

He gestured to his legs. "You look like a whore."

"Look, I'll get mad about that later, but right now…I can't wait any longer. Please!"

Kagome closed her eyes as she felt his cool, small fingers trailing the edges of her hakama_. Oh, this was a bad idea! I should have just peed my pants_. A string of horrific thoughts and scenarios played out in her mind as his hand closed around the length of her.

"Go!" He barked, breaking her reverie.

She tried. She could not.

"What now?" He sounded positively murderous.

"I dunno…I'm nervous. Don't squeeze so hard…you really want to hurt that part of your anatomy?"

His hold loosened. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief and watered the grass.

"So, what were you wanting with that statue?" Her question caught him off guard. He was not sure he knew how to answer that. He had simply just…wanted it. He had left Rin and Jakken to go in search of some clues about Naraku, or at least, that is what he told his retainer. Really, he had just taken a much needed sabbatical.

Then, he had felt a pull, a call to his youki. Like an idiot dog on a leash, he let himself head the statue's call. It was an enchanted, cursed thing, obviously. And he should not have been so weak as to have not noticed this fact.

Sesshomaru silently cursed his human body. Not only could he NOT smell very well, or see, or hear, or run…or fly, or do anything he used to, he felt like crying.

Twice already, he had come close to tears. The tears had the temerity to sting his eyes, making him blink them rapidly away. Tears! He could not think of the last time he had cried, if ever.

The first time was when he had been forced to hold his penis that was attached to his body that he no longer occupied, while the stupid wench urinated. He could not pin point the exact reason it made him want to cry, but he preferred not to dwell on it much, hoping to soon put the whole disgusting episode behind him.

Now, he was about to cry over his disgust at his own weakness. He eyed the wench who was flexing his claws, looking at them with open curiosity.

She stopped, sniffing lightly, and then turned to him. "What's the matter? Are you crying?"

"You…you! This was your plan all along, wasn't it? Steal my body, ruin my reputation, sully my name!" His voice was trembling, and he cringed when he felt a lone, hot tear snake down his cheek.

Sesshomaru's voice dropped as low as it could, which was not very low at all. "Oh, I hate you."

She put her hand on his shoulder gently. "Hey, it's okay! We'll fix this!"

He jerked away from her, tripping over his feet, nearly falling. "I don't want your pity!" He scrubbed at his damp cheeks with his fist. _Damn, hysterical, female emotions!_

"You think I like this, Sesshomaru? Well, I don't. I hate it just as much as you do. The last person on the face of this earth I want to be mistaken for is you. You represent all the things I hate, but that's not important right now. It's obvious you can't control yourself enough to be in Inuyasha's company, and if he thinks you've run off, he'll just waste all his time chasing after you. So, you're going to go back to camp, and you're going to tell him that you need to go home. He won't like it, but just be persistent. NOT mean. Got that? Think you can handle that?"

He nodded, too angry to do anything else.

"Good. Now, of course, we're not really going to my home, so just wait at the well for me after Inuyasha takes you there."

"You live in a well?" It did not surprise him. The wench was obviously insane. He would placate her for now. After all, being cracked and having a powerful demon body was a bad combination. And he wanted to stay in one piece, but she would pay for insulting him, for insinuating he lacked control.

"Not exactly. It's a long story. I'll tell you later. Now, scoot! The sooner we're back to our normal selves the better!"

For the first time, he completely agreed with her.


	3. Chapter 3

Reversal 

**Chapter 3**: Home again, home again, jiggity jig!

A/N: **Delicious reviews! Thank you, brandee, the fairy princess lady, and misto-shadow. **Cursing abounds, mostly because Inuyasha has some face time in this chapter, and that boy sure has a dirty mouth.

This is a short chapter, sorry. I have completed up to chapter ten and I'll probably post up to six tonight. Anyway, enjoy…or something.

Kagome watched as Sesshomaru walked back to the camp. His head was held high, mouth set in a thin, determined line, eyes cold. She guessed he did not see the tree root.

Sesshomaru fell, a twisted tangle of limbs and muffled curses. Briefly, she considered going to help him, but decided that would probably just piss him off more. Instead, she waited until she could not see him anymore, and followed slowly, if for no other reason than to make certain he did not do any lasting harm to her body.

Kagome could not suppress a chuckle as she heard him bumble and crash through the forest. Sesshomaru was…clumsy. Well, that probably was not it. He was just unused to being in a human body. And truth be told, she was not fairing much better.

Everything, from walking to picking a leaf out of her now incredibly, luxurious hair, took little to no effort. Once, a low-hanging tree limb had gotten in her way. She had simply reached up to swat it away, and ended up tearing the whole damn thing off. Kagome kept having to remind herself to be careful.

She stopped when she heard voices. Angry voices. _Great_, she thought, _Inuyasha is probably yelling at Sesshomaru and calling him names like "Stupid wench". So much for Sesshomaru keeping his cool._

Sesshomaru endured his brother's tirade with a cool head. The insults and jeers, were not, after all, aimed at him, but rather the ridiculous female whose body he inhabited, and frankly, he agreed with everything Inuyasha said…tho he would be hard pressed to admit that.

_Besides_, he told himself, _there was no indignity I could suffer that could possibly hold a candle to helping that disgusting wench relieve herself_. He considered it the low point of his entire, long existence.

He wondered idly, hiding his curiosity with a cold smirk, if the worthless hanyou spoke to the wench like that all the time. _Bah! What do I care if he does? Serves her right._

His half brother was still screaming at him. He sighed.

"Half…er…Inuyasha, if you don't mind. I'm going home. Right now, no arguments," he said softly.

The hanyou's eyes grew large and then narrowed. "Ain't no way yer going home, stupid! You haven't found a shard in three weeks. Three fucking weeks! You're such a baby, always crying about wanting to go home."

Inuyasha got in his face, hot breath fanning over his cheek. Sesshomaru fought to keep from smacking his jaws. Inuyasha inhaled sharply, and then his eyes glazed over and his lips curled back from his teeth.

"You smell like Sesshomaru again."

Sesshomaru shrugged. "So? Why are you changing the subject? I am going home. Now. Take me to the well, this instant."

Inuyasha chuckled softly, but it sounded dangerous and lacked mirth. "Yeah, yeah. Okay. Have it your way, wench. Get your stuff."

Pleased, he ignored the strange looks Inuyasha's companions gave him and retrieved the bright, yellow satchel he had seen the wench carrying. He did not bid any of them farewell, and neither did they say goodbye to him.

Humiliating. That was the only word he could think of as he struggled to keep up with his worthless half brother. He was running as fast as his weak, human legs could carry him, all red in the face, huffing and puffing, and still he could not keep up. He was too proud to ask the hanyou to wait up, so he just had to hope he was headed in the right direction.

Suddenly he broke into a clearing and nearly collapsed. Hands on knees, he tried to catch his breath. It hurt to breathe. Hurt! His sides burned, his legs ached, and he doubted very much he had even come that far. Being human was a gigantic pain in his ass.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha sat on the lip of the well, not even breathing hard. Sesshomaru wanted to kill him. Well, he had always wanted to kill him, but now he wanted to do it slowly. _Maybe, I'll peel his skin off and pour vinegar on him, or slowly, very slowly rip his wench to tiny, little bits and force him to eat said bits…_and so went the train of delicious thoughts of torture.

"See?" Inuyasha taunted. "All this going home crap is makin' you soft."

Sesshomaru really wanted to insult him back, but he had not caught his breath yet. After several long moments, with Inuyasha staring at him strangely the entire time, Sesshomaru straightened and walked to the well.

But a surge of youki stopped him. It prickled at the back of his neck, making all the little hairs stand up, making him shiver. He hoped it was not the wench. He really did. Inuyasha was stupid, but surely, not that stupid. The hanyou was sure to feel or smell his body.

"Goodbye, Inuyasha. I'll be back shortly, I'm sure." He waved and forced a tight smile.

Inuyasha did not move.

"Well? I said I was going. Why are you still here?"

"If yer going, then why don't you just jump in? Or are you waiting for someone?" Inuyasha was sneering.

_Shit. Shit, shit, shit. _The last thing Sesshomaru wanted to do was jump in that well. He had no idea what might happen, and he never jumped into a situation without knowing all about it first. Well, except for the whole statue mess, and he had certainly learned his lesson, and very painfully too.

Before he could think of a logical reply to the half-breed's question, he heard a smooth voice…his voice, behind him. He cringed.

"That's right, Inuyasha. Kagome is waiting for me."

Inuyasha sprang from the lip of the well, drawing Tessaiga simultaneously. "Like hell she is!"

_Well_, Kagome thought chewing her bottom lip, nearly biting it off with her fangs, _it seemed like a decent idea a second ago._

"It is not what you think…um…idiot?" Kagome said to Inuyasha, not quite used to the whole arrogant, insult thing.

Sesshomaru stared at his feet and slowly shook his head.

Inuyasha raised Tessaiga higher. "Oh yeah? Then what the fuck do you want with Kagome, asshole?"

"I…um…this Sesshomaru is merely curious about the wench's home in the future! Yeah! And I asked nicely if she would take me to see it, and she said she would." Kagome tried really hard to get the Lord of the West's tone of cold disdain down, but she thought she just sounded a bit like she had a head cold.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "Feh! Kagome is stupid, but she isn't brainless."

Her youki flared around her, almost visible, like heat shimmer on the horizon.

"Inuyasha!" she ground out through clenched teeth. "Sit boy!"

To say the look on his face as he plummeted to the ground was that of astonishment was a bit of an understatement. He did not even curse on the way down. Kagome leaped into the air over an inert Inuyasha and toward a befuddled Sesshomaru. She swept the demon lord into her arm with ease.

"Hold on tight, Sesshomaru!" She whispered in his ear as they fell into the Bone Eater's well.

"Get. Off. Me," came an irate, female voice from under her.

Kagome blinked a few times, feeling slightly disoriented.

"Oh! Sorry!" she said.

Gingerly, she helped Sesshomaru stand, picking a twig out of his tangled hair. "You okay?"

"No! This body is useless, and is plagued by staggering weakness, not to mention various aches and pains. Gods, woman! I thought only the old had such problems." He stopped his tirade and looked up, not at clear, blue, summer sky, but at the roof of the well house. "Where are we?"

Kagome groaned. "Home…my home. This is going to be…interesting."

The irritating bitch had insisted that he listen to her babble about her home before they even climbed out of the well. She gave him what she called 'ground rules'. He largely ignored her, instead focusing on the strange smells and sounds.

True, his senses were nearly worthless, but he could pick up faint traces of unfamiliar aromas…and the noises! He was itching to see what was outside the well house, but he refused to show his impatience.

The future! Oh, if only he had his own body, the fun he could have. He could not, with his limited miko abilities, sense any nearby youkai. Which meant they were either very adept at hiding, or gone entirely. The thought unsettled him, but intrigued him too. This place was ripe for conquest if he could get his body back in a timely fashion.

The woman poked him sharply in the chest. It hurt. He snarled.

"Hey! You're not listening! You know what? My mom is never going to believe you are me. Never in a million years. You suck at impersonating me."

"This Sesshomaru does not know what you mean by 'suck', but I take it is a negative thing. I do not see the point in seeing your mother, so the need for this disgusting charade is pointless. As much as I would like to explore your 'home', I doubt the solution to our current state is here."

"Now, now, Sesshomaru. You're going to have to trust me. I have a couple ideas…well…okay, I have one idea, but it's a good one!" She gave him a brilliant smile.

He shrugged. Certainly it could not get any worse than the incident with his penis. Surely. Of course, Sesshomaru, though he would never admit it, had been wrong before.


	4. Chapter 4

Reversal 

**Chapter Four**: The Gun Show!

A/N: Thank you to all my darling reviewers! I hope you like this chappie! And if you want something darker by me, check out Animus. Yes, I am capable of being serious!

Her mother had been incredulous at first, refusing to believe Kagome. It had been Souta who had finally believed her, but only after asking her about various embarrassing moments in her life. Once, she heard Sesshomaru snicker behind her. She suppressed the urge to beat him to a pulp. It would not be a good idea to ruin her body.

She took Sesshomaru up to her room and rubbed her face.

"Geez, I feel so aggressive. Earlier, when you snickered at me, I wanted to smash your face. It must be really hard for you to pretend to be an emotionless ice cube all the time."

"Indeed," he said smoothly, eyes roaming over her room. Every so often, he would reach out and gingerly pick up something, a hairbrush, a tube of lip gloss, and sniff it. When he appeared to be completely bored, he sighed and turned to her. "Now, tell me this brilliant plan of yours and why it was worth enduring the utter idiocy of your family."

"Hey! They're not idiots! I think you should stop being such a jerk. Maybe I'll just change my mind and not help at all. I mean, yeah, I'd love to have my body back, but I guess I could get used to this with time."

Sesshomaru's face went a ghostly shade of white, and his hands balled into tight fists. A soft, pink shimmer appeared around his hands. Kagome backed up a step, hitting her head on a bookshelf and spilling all the contents. Sesshomaru blinked and the light disappeared.

"Okay. Let's start over. We don't like each other-"

"That," he drawled, "is an understatement."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Fine. We hate each other. You think I'm a dumb wench, bitch, filthy human, etc…and I think you're a cold, heartless, murderous, jerk. Fair enough?"

He shrugged.

"Anyway, we're going to have to play nice until we sort this mess out. And there sits my plan!" She motioned to the computer on her small desk.

Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow at her. "Your plan is a strange looking box?"

"This is a computer. It can retrieve all sorts of information from around the world in seconds," she said, turning the monitor on, smirking when Sesshomaru jumped a little. "A human invention, by the way. In fact…I don't seem to recall demons inventing anything at all. Hmmm. Most curious, wouldn't you say, Sesshomaru?"

He leaned over her shoulder and gave the screen a light poke. When he spoke, he kept his eyes fixed on the monitor. "I thought you said we were going to 'play nice', bitch?"

She frowned. He was right. She was being mean again. Teasing him was the only thing keeping her mind off the present situation's ramifications. If she thought about it too hard, she was afraid she would cry. _It isn't fair! I'm a good person! Why does this crap always have to happen to me? _

"Well? How will this curious box give us the answer we require? Must we ask it questions?"

"Oh. I thought I'd just google 'double headed statue' and see what I can find." She reached for the keyboard and sighed. Having one arm was annoying to say the least. She was assailed by a sudden rush of guilt. If it was not for her, Sesshomaru would still have both arms. Well, it had not been entirely her fault, but she had played her part.

She had to type with one finger, but got the job done. Hitting search, she instantly got about a thousand results.

"Okay, now to sort through all this," she clicked on the first link and turned to face Sesshomaru, intent on explaining how the whole google thing worked.

His eyes were as wide as saucers, his mouth a little 'o'. He turned the most interesting shade of reddish purple and then flung his hands over his eyes.

"That," he began in a quivering voice, "is not going to solve our current situation, and I'm rather insulted at your insinuation."

Kagome rolled her eyes again, and turned around.

"Holy crap!" she cried, clicking the back button as fast as she could.

Indeed, that kind of 'double head' was not going to help them at all.

"I'm so sorry, Sesshomaru! See, a lot of people in the world are just…well, they're just icky perverts. You have to be careful with the questions you type into the computer, or you'll get stuff like _that._"

He was still covering his eyes. She smiled. It was kind of cute to see him acting so…innocent? That was not the right word, but it was cute anyway.

"You can look now. I made the bad picture go away."

He slid his fingers from his face, gave her a dubious glance and then looked at the computer. Sesshomaru let out a long breath when he saw nothing offensive.

"That disgusting display further proves my point about humans. All they care for is rutting."

Kagome shook her head. "That's not true, Sesshomaru. Besides, I've met plenty of demons who seemed to have 'rutting' on the brain."

A sneer curled his lip and he looked down at his legs. "Oh, I have no doubt of that. Though I'm rather confused as to why my brother would let his mate whore herself. He has no honor, but then, that's not really surprising considering what he came from."

Kagome jumped to her feet, and before she could stop herself, she soundly backhanded Sesshomaru, sending him reeling to the ground.

She was by his side in a flash, holding him by the shoulder.

He sneered up at her, teeth red with blood.

"You'll pay for that, bitch. Maybe not today, but you will pay." His voice was low and dangerous, but Kagome was not afraid of his threats, her guilt overwhelmed her.

Tears stung her eyes. "I can't believe I did that! Are you okay? Does it hurt very much? I'm sorry, so, so sorry. But let's get one thing straight, Sesshomaru. I'm not a whore…wait…okay, two things straight. I'm not a whore and I'm not Inuyasha's mate," she said as she rummaged around in her bag for a tissue.

She tried to blot the thin trickle of blood that trailed down his chin, but he jerked away, wiping it instead, on the back of his hand.

"This Sesshomaru does not need your apologies or explanations, bitch. Find a solution to this. Now." He pointed a trembling finger at the computer.

She nodded. "Okay…but Sesshomaru?"

He did not answer.

"I have to pee again."

Sesshomaru shook his head vigorously, but then he stopped and narrowed his eyes. He gripped her by the shoulder suddenly, fingers digging into the stump of her arm. Pink light flared from his fingertips and sent shooting pains throughout her body. She bit back a sharp cry, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

The pain intensified, growing hot, then cold. Finally, it got so bad that it made Kagome dizzy. Her youki fought against the purity of Sesshomaru's miko powers. Fought it so hard that she smooth passed out.

Sesshomaru eyed his handiwork as he wiped at the sweat on his brow. _Excellent_, he thought smugly. _Not only do I have my arm restored, but I won't have to assist that bitch any longer. _

He pulled up her sleeve and inspected the re-grown limb. It was a bit paler than the rest of the flesh, but it looked fine other than that. Kagome's brow creased and she moaned softly before her eyes fluttered open.

"What'd you do that for? It really hurt!"

"Look at the arm, wench."

"Huh?" Kagome sat up…using both arms. "Oh! That's really something! Well, maybe this whole experience won't be a total wash for you, eh Sesshomaru?" She gave him a bright smile.

He opened his mouth to reply, fully intent on telling her that even his restored arm was not worth the utter humiliation he'd had to endure, when a wave of dizziness stole his words.

Much to his shame, he was falling, his indecent legs giving out from under him. Kagome caught him in her arms, picked him up as if he were a mere child and laid him on her overly pink bed.

She looked down at him, a rueful smiled twitching at the corners of her lips. "Get some sleep, Sesshomaru. I'm going to go take a shower."

He frowned. Sesshomaru did not know what a shower was, but he hoped it did not somehow involve his penis and the disgusting picture he had seen on the bitch's obscene box. Wanting to argue, he tried to sit up, to stop her from leaving, but he found that he simply did not have the strength.

When she closed the door, Sesshomaru felt a bubble of anxiety, in his chest. He was alone…not that it bothered him! He loved solitude! Yes, loved it to damn pieces! But it was a strange place, he reasoned with himself, and like it or not, the wench was his only guide.

His weak, human heart, however, did not agree and beat a mad rhythm against his sternum. Alarmed, he put a hand to his heart, fingers brushing the edge of one of his breasts. _Breasts. I have breasts._ He did not know whether this was something he should laugh or cry about.

Instead, he peeked at the door, and then down his blouse. He smiled slowly. For a human, the wench had a nice pair.

He went completely still. What in the name of hell was he doing? He was leering at the bitch's body! He silently prayed for a stray lightening bolt to end his pathetic life, when it dawned on him. What if the woman was leering at his…right this moment?

He felt his world narrow to a pin-point of hot fury and he bounded out of bed.

Kagome sat on the toilet, determined not to touch Sesshomaru's…_THING. _Ever.

When finished, she stood and began to strip the kimono off, struggling with the elaborate knots despite having two arms.

"Maybe," she said to herself, "I should just take a shower with my clothes on."

Instead, she just closed her eyes, focused and shed the remainder of her clothes. _Kagome_, she warned herself, _don't you dare peek. Just turn around, ignore that the mirror is right in front of you, and get in the shower. Eyes on the ceiling! Yes! But hey…I wonder if he has stripes in other places… _

That did it. She was a naturally curious girl. It had gotten her into the whole mess with the jewel and Inuyasha in the first place. Who was she to try to deny her nature?

She cracked open one eye and then drew in a sharp breath of surprise.

"Oh…oh, hello!" She kept her eyes above her waist and flat out admired her washboard abs, narrow hips, sculpted…everything.

"Bet yer real popular with the lady demons." She flexed a bicep. "Tickets to the gun show anyone?"

Just then, the door to the bathroom flew open.

"I knew it!" Sesshomaru snarled, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

Kagome's hands flew to her chest, only to realize too late that she should have covered her crotch.


	5. Chapter 5

Reversal

Chapter Five: Dates of doom

A/N: XsesshomaruX, am so glad I made you laugh! Your review made me sing a happy tune, and I will update often as long as my muse doesn't go off whoring and boozing again…the bastard!

They stared at each other, both red faced and angry for the better part of a minute. Kagome finally figured out which parts to cover and Sesshomaru wondered where her family kept the cutlery.

Sesshomaru licked his lips and crossed his arms over his chest, pointedly ignoring the feel of his pert breasts against his arms. Though he wondered if being mildly attracted to the body he was in was a form of narcissism or masochism. He shook his head hard enough to rattle his teeth, hoping that would somehow dislodge his wicked thoughts.

"You will explain what showering is to me. You will do it now," he kept his voice steady, cool, and calm.

Kagome blinked at him, both hands still covering something he had seen so many times he almost laughed at her attempt at modesty.

"I…oh…well, showering is a way to get clean. Like a bath, only the water pours out of that," she released herself to point at a strange metal object that was in a recess in the tiled wall.

"Are you suggesting that this Sesshomaru's body is dirty?"

Her cheeks were bright red and she shifted on her feet. "No! It's just that showers relax me. It has been a stressful day, Sesshomaru."

He nodded. She was right about that. "And what, pray tell, is the 'gun show'?"

The woman hanged her head. "I don't think I can explain it adequately, Sesshomaru. I'm sorry. I was just…um…well…you have nice arms. That was a way of saying you have nice arms."

Sesshomaru smirked. "Of course I do, however, no one said you could ogle them."

Gaze snapping to his, her lips drew back from her teeth.

"I was not ogling! I was just trying to see where else you might have had stripes!"

He watched in horrified bemusement as her hands flew to her mouth, then back to her crotch, then back to her mouth again.

"Woman, you need not cover yourself. I assure you, I'm quite familiar with my own body."

She laughed and plucked a long strip of cloth from a metal hanger on the wall and wrapped it around her waist.

"Okay. How bout you take your clothes off then?"

Sesshomaru did not care for the direction this conversation was headed. He narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

She shrugged. "To prove a point. You said it yourself. Besides, you stink and need a bath. Go ahead. We'll just take a shower together, conserve water. No need to be modest, right?"

The wench was toying with him. It was a contest of wills, and he would not be beaten. In one forceful movement, he jerked the woman's bizarre kimono top over his head and threw it to the floor. His breasts were covered by some strange thing made of lace and wire. He poked it. Pulled on it, but could not seem to get it off.

"No, no, no. Here," the woman said, her hands going between his breasts. With a little click, the lacy thing fell away.

He stared. The woman rapped him over the head with her knuckles. "No ogling!"

The thrice-damned bitch was chuckling, but then her laughter died and she made a funny, strangled sound in the back of her throat.

"Oh…oh, this is too weird. I think I'm going to throw up. Look, screw the shower. You need to sleep, and I need to do some more research."

"Screw the shower? How much more perverse can you be, wench?"

She stamped her foot. "That's not what I meant! Just go to bed, Sesshomaru."

The door creaked and the bitch's mother poked her head in. Kagome shrieked, tripped over her own feet and fell into the shower. Her mother went pale, then flushed, mumbled something about Kagome needing a 'great deal of therapy', and slammed the door.

It was three in the morning and Kagome was not the least bit tired. _Man_, she thought, _if I had Sesshomaru's stamina, I bet I wouldn't fall behind in school!_

Then she resolved to never use the words Sesshomaru and stamina in the same sentence again.

Google had not turned up one result that was usable, well not so far. She had three links left, and none of them looked promising. Oh, she had clicked them all, even the ones that she was fairly certain contained nothing but depraved smut. She did not want to miss anything.

She was half tempted not to click the link for "Bare Assests Inc.". It screamed dirty, bad things. But, it was now the last link left. Kagome clicked.

It was for a strip club in Chicago, a city in America. She was pleasantly surprised to note that the website was tastefully done…for a strip club. She frowned at the page. She had taken English in school some years ago, but she did not remember much. She wished her curiosity would leave her alone, but she had to know what the site said.

She bookmarked the site and resolved to find someone who could translate it for her and who would not humiliate her once they saw what the website was for.

Her head was spinning. How can I even go outside looking like this? Sesshomaru, she admitted grudgingly to herself, was hot…for a demon, but if she went traipsing about modern day Tokyo, people would think she was a freak.

Leaning back in the computer chair, she sighed. Her gaze rested on her little desk calendar.

"Oh no…" she whispered.

In two days she had a math exam. An important one. She remembered the words of her professor well. 'Miss this exam, Hirugashi, fail the course. Fail the course…no graduation."

And it just got worse. There was another date, circled, right after the date of the exam. A very special day that happened once a month. She usually went home that week because Inuyasha seemed…unusually unsettled by her monthly visitor, and well, who wants to go gallivanting around feudal Japan whilst on the rag?

"Sesshomaru…" she breathed. He was not going to like that at all. The thought of Sesshomaru with PMS, cramps, and bloating was bad. The thought of explaining tampons to Sesshomaru was so horrific, she considered letting him have Toukijin so that he really could go ahead and kill them both.

For a sadistic moment, she considered not telling him. Let the jerk find out the hard way, she thought with a twisted, little smirk. Men! They should all have to go through this, maybe then they'd be more understanding!

She giggled. Yes, that was a good idea. She half wished that it had been her and Inuyasha that had switched bodies. He was always giving her a hard time about her period.

Kagome looked at Sesshomaru as he slept on her bed. His brow was furrowed, one hand curled under his chin. The skin under his eye twitched every so often. She sighed.

No, she could not be that mean. _In fact_, she resolved, _I'm going to be super nice to him. I'll buy him some chocolate and Midol…maybe even rent a chick flick or two. I know! Chocolate ice cream. That cures everything!_

She jotted down the items to smooth Sesshomaru's transition to womanhood on a small scrap of paper and hoped her mom was not too pissed to pick those things up for her.

Kagome nodded, pleased with herself. After all, maybe the demon lord would not be so inclined for revenge if she was nice to him. She imagined how mad he would be if she said nothing, or worse, teased him unmercifully. He would get his body back and cut her into a million, tiny pieces…then he would probably make Inuyasha eat said pieces. She shivered. Nice. She was going to be nice from now on.

"Now," she said. "What to do about that stupid exam?"

Obviously, Sesshomaru was going to have go and take it.

He decided that he was having a really, wonderful dream.

Sesshomaru had not really done more than lightly nap in about fifty years. He was a powerful taiyoukai! Sleep was for lesser beings. So, to that affect, he had not dreamed in about that long either.

The dream started out as most dreams do, hazy and nonsensical. Then he found himself alone with a beautiful woman. That was always a good sign.

Peeking up at him through sooty eyelashes, she smiled and opened her kimono just enough that he could see the swell of her creamy breasts. She bade him to touch them. He did. It was nice.

Then, much to his dismay, she growled at him and began beating him over the head while screaming, "Pervert!" over and over again.

Sesshomaru was awake. Kagome was rapping him over the head with one hand, gripping his wrist with the other, teeth bared, eyes bleeding to red.

"What are you doing?" He asked, feeling crankier than when he had gone to sleep.

"I'd ask you the same thing, pervert!"

"This Sesshomaru is not a-"

She gave him a light slap, silencing him. "Yes you are! You were groping yourself! Those, are mine!" she pointed to his breasts, and much to his humiliation, he found that he was indeed, groping them with one hand.

He glared at the offending appendage as if his look alone could make it disappear.

The wench rubbed her face and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I hit you. Must be all this testosterone. Makes me feel all aggressive. Anyway," she rambled on, leaving Sesshomaru to wonder what in the hell testosterone was.

She sat on the edge of the bed, face serious. Sesshomaru braced himself.

"Sesshomaru…there are some things you need to know. You are not going to like this." She paused, he assumed, for dramatic effect. "Know anything about a woman's monthly…er…cycle?"

"Of course I do!" he snapped. Really, this woman had no idea who she was talking to!

"Well, you get to experience it first hand…any day now. Oh. One more question. Are you good at math?"

He blinked. "What does math have to do with a woman's moon blood, you idiot?"

She sighed. "Just answer the damn question."

"I suppose my skills at ciphering are adequate."

Kagome groaned. "Well, they're going to have to do. I have one college entrance exam left. Math. In two days. You have to take it."

"No."

"What?"

He knew the wench's hearing was fine. There was no need for repetition. She stared at him. He stared back.

She shoved a small box in his face. "Fine. Then you can deal with your period all by yourself."

Sesshomaru took the box from her, opened it, and withdrew a small, white cylinder. "What is this?"

Kagome smiled, but it was not a friendly smile. "That, is a tampon. You'll need that in a couple days. Good luck figuring it out. I had to have my mother help me put my first one in."

That got his attention. Again, he felt his pathetic human heart speed up. He knew Kagome could hear it, smell his anxiety. That just made him more anxious. "In? In where?"

"You," she said as if that explained everything.

Sesshomaru decided that fate was cruel. He had always suspected that it was, but now he knew for sure. He swallowed audibly and wished his pride a nice journey. Apparently, he had no use for it anymore.

"When did you say this 'exam' was?"

Sesshomaru blearily rubbed his eyes. He had been 'studying' for the better part of five hours. With a disgusted huff, he shoved three text books to the floor, then kicked them.

He felt terrible. His abdomen hurt, his head hurt, his breasts…the same ones he simply refused to acknowledge any longer, hurt.

Kagome peeked her head around the corner, her mouth full of something. Sesshomaru's stomach rumbled painfully. He looked up at the woman in a near desperate state. He felt like weeping, or screaming…perhaps both.

"Hey…you all right?" she asked after swallowing her mouthful of food.

"No," he replied glumly, turning away from her when he felt tears prick his eyes. "I'm not."

Damned tears again! He was relieved however, that this body was nearing its moon cycle. That would certainly explain his state of near constant hysteria. Not that it made him feel any better about it.

"Forget the studying for a while. Come downstairs with me. I have ice cream!"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. He did not trust the wench. He was not certain what 'ice cream' was, but he wondered if it was some sort of code word for more emotional blackmail.

His stomach betrayed him and growled noisily. He grimaced.

"Aw! I'm sorry! I bet you're hungry! Look, mom picked up some ice cream and a movie." She must have taken his blank expression as one of confusion, for she went on, "Ice cream is just frozen cow's milk with sugar in it. You'll love it, everyone does. And a movie is something you put into a another box, like the computer, only the pictures move and tell a story."

"I have no desire to see those type of pictures move, wench."

She had the audacity to laugh at him. "No, silly! You really think my mother would get a movie like that? No, this is just a nice, romantic, love story. One of my favorites!"

Reluctantly, he followed, but that was only because the idea of studying more actually hurt his brain.

"I don't understand this," Sesshomaru said to her, cocking his head at the TV.

Kagome ground her teeth. He had not shut up once during the whole movie. Not one, damn time. Question after question, but she kept her cool and answered every one.

"What don't you understand, Sesshomaru? I think it is a pretty straightforward story, and I already told you I'd have to get you a book on how television sets work because I have no idea." She wanted to add that Inuyasha had no problem understanding the simple plot, but she decided that was probably mean, and just sighed.

"The woman in the story is in love with a man who loves another woman. Yet, this dishonorable cur sees both women, yet she knows this, and continues to rut with him. Then, like a typically weak human, she laments her situation and cries all the time. Pathetic. Why does she not just find a more suitable male with which to rut?" His voice, surprisingly, was not tinged with malice or implied insult, Kagome could tell he was merely curious, but the question still bothered her.

Had she been in an introspective mood, she would have known a couple things. First, the reason the question bothered her. Second, the reason why she tended to watch this particular movie when she was home. But Kagome was not in the mood to examine her feelings. She got up from the floor and clicked off the television, ignoring Sesshomaru's questioning look.

"I don't know Sesshomaru. Maybe she thinks she can't do any better. Maybe she feels inadequate in some way, and thinks if she can just prove herself to him, prove how loyal and how much she loves him, how she would do anything for him, that he'll love her back the same way she loves him. Maybe she's convinced herself that fate demands that they be together, even if things aren't quite working out. Maybe she is so afraid to ever trust anyone again, that she clings to something that will never be because it is easier than giving up." Her voice was soft, and she turned away from him so he could not see the pain in her eyes that she was sure that was there.

"So, the woman does not know her value. Humph. If she does not know it, how can anyone else?"

Kagome shrugged. "But she doesn't have that much value, don't you see? She's just an ordinary girl. No one special."

"I think, wench…that you are reading far too much into this…'movie'. Is this how humans spend their time? Using computers and televisions to watch other people live the lives they wish they could?" He had a bemused tone in his voice, that arrogant coldness that made her want to say something mean enough to break through his shell. To hurt him.

_Maybe if he felt some rejection and good old fashioned unrequited love he wouldn't be such an asshole. _She thought, keeping her gaze trained on the television's black screen. She could see his reflection behind her, still sitting on the floor, running a finger around the inside of the now empty bowl of ice cream.

He stuck said finger in his mouth. "Have you any more ice cream?"

She whirled on him, suddenly furious. "You want to know why you don't understand the movie, Sesshomaru?"

He did not answer.

"Well, I'll tell you. You don't understand it because no one loves you, and you don't love anyone. You've never been hurt, maybe if you had, maybe if you opened yourself up to actually experience something instead of looking down your haughty nose at it, you would understand."

Sesshomaru got to his feet, face void of any tangible emotion. Kagome thought it was strange to see her face like that. "Do not presume to tell this Sesshomaru how I feel."

Kagome faced him, smirking. "Oh? So you do feel, then?"

"This Sesshomaru feels many things, bitch. Disgust, aggravation, annoyance. If you are asking if I feel love…why would I? Look what love has done to you. you are weak because of it. I have no desire to ever experience anything that makes me behave without honor. Besides, wench, I know my value."

Kagome felt something inside her break. Something she was certain was integral to who she was, just crumble and fall apart. Like paper being burned from the center, she turned in on herself.

With smug satisfaction, Sesshomaru watched as his words sunk into the wench's thick skull. Her face fell, eyes filling with tears. Perhaps now she would see the truth of his words, and wipe that decidedly sappy, wistful look off her face.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, one after the other. "You're right, Sesshomaru. Of course, you are. You're always right, aren't you? Tell me, does it feel good to be right? Because I can tell you, it feels pretty bad to be wrong."

Sesshomaru wanted to tell her that of course, it felt good, but he was not a liar. It did not feel good all the time, it felt empty, and making the wench cry was just another hollow victory that meant nothing. How had he shown honor to the woman who had just tried to help him? _Unselfishly, too. Don't forget that one. You jerk_. My but his inner voice was being surly today.

He mulled over his options. Ignore her. Insult her further until she became so angry, she forgot how hurt she was, or…apologize. Sesshomaru winced.

Well, he told himself matter-of-factly, after this is all over, I can kill her and no one need ever know. Sesshomaru ignored the funny, little twinge of guilt he felt at even thinking about loosing her head from her shoulders and took a deep breath.

"Wench…I mean…Kagome. This Sesshomaru apologizes for being…rude. You will continue your research, and I will go back to 'studying' for this exam."

There, that was not so bad. It had not been as humiliating as he suspected it might be. He looked up at her face, expecting to see a bright smile.

He was…shocked.

The woman was scowling. "Take your crap apology and shove it. At this point, I don't care if you take the damn test for me. I don't want to owe you anything anyway. Hopefully, I can find a solution soon, we can go back to our normal selves, and I never have to lay eyes on you again!"

With that, she stormed out of the room, leaving a befuddled Sesshomaru.

"Hmm. Perhaps I should have insulted her," he said to himself, wondering if this meant that he would have to now discover the mystery of the tampon on his own.


	6. Chapter 6

Reversal

Chapter Six: Wardrobe Malfunction

A/N: Thank you, kind reviewers! Sorry it took so long to update. Work has been crazy! And I've been scrambling to finish an original short so that I can finally submit it somewhere. If anyone is interested in updates, snippets of originals, or my inane ramblings…visit my el jay: w1nky is my username.

Kagome had Souta by the collar, pinning him with hard, golden stare. He was still grinning, but the smile was faltering and he began to squirm under her grasp.

"I'm only going to ask you one more time, bub. Are you going to tell mom?"

"I said I wouldn't! Sheesh!" Souta stumbled backwards as Kagome released him.

He returned to the computer chair, eyes fixed on the monitor, cheeks an interesting shade of red. Kagome slapped her hand over the image of a very busty American girl and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Just translate it, already," she grouched.

"Am trying! Hard to concentrate. Speaking of mom, she got you some new clothes. You know…cause if you go outside dressed in that, everyone will think you're a freak. Is that Sesshomaru character going to take your math test?" Souta asked as he scribbled something on a pad of paper, eyes still fixed on the monitor.

Kagome sighed remembering her last conversation with the ice cream-loving demon lord. "I don't know. I haven't even seen him today. What kind of mood was he in?"

Souta shrugged. "I saw him come out of the bathroom. I said hi, but he ignored me. He didn't look very happy. Anyway, I don't see anything on this site about a green statue…wait…" He squinted and chewed his bottom lip. Souta clicked on a link, and a page without lots of boobs and g-strings appeared. "This says that the club's owner is a collector of occult stuff. There's a long list of all the things he has."

Souta clicked another link and a statue of a naked woman with things coming out of her…area…popped up. Kagome threw her hands over the screen.

"That is definitely not it!" Kagome looked at her closed bedroom door anxiously. It would be just like Fate if her mother chose now to barge in.

He clicked another link. Kagome let out a cry of delight.

"That's it! That's the statue!" She did an impromptu dance of joy.

The door opened and she locked gazes with Sesshomaru. He was expressionless, but his displeasure was almost palatable, like a silent fart, she could almost smell it.

"Oh, there you are! Look! Souta found the statue!" Kagome grabbed him by the hand and pulled him to the computer. He eyed her warily for a moment and then looked at the monitor.

Sesshomaru's expression did not change, but his eyes widened a bit, and he reached a hand to touch the screen. "Yes, that is the very same statue." He squared his shoulders and lifted his chin. "Well? What are we waiting for? Let us go retrieve it."

"Are you serious? It is practically on the other side of the planet! Besides, you have to take that test for me tomorrow morning while I try to convince mother to buy me a couple plane tickets to Chicago."

He just blinked at her. Then, very slowly, a thin line formed between his brows, and his mouth drew down into a bitter frown. "I am not taking that test."

"What?" Kagome could not suppress the growl that rumbled in her chest. She felt her fingers tingle, and had to draw several, deep breaths to calm herself.

Then, much to her utter horror and shock, Sesshomaru pointed to his crotch. Souta began to giggle hysterically.

"Tampons." That was the only word he said.

"You're on the rag?" Souta asked between guffaws, rudely pointing to Sesshomaru.

"Souta!" Kagome rapped him over the head with her knuckles, silencing his laughter. "And you!" She pointed at Sesshomaru, finger trembling. "Are you trying to ruin my life? Do you hate me that much? I told you yesterday that you could figure it out yourself. Why? You were being a jerk. Maybe next time, you'll think before you open your mouth and say insensitive things! I was only trying to make things better for you, be nice to you. And don't start on me about tampons! I've had to use them for two years now." Kagome felt her whole body tremble as she remembered his callous words. She pointedly ignored the fact that he had apologized.

He did not even flinch during her tirade. "This Sesshomaru offered his apology. It is most certainly not my fault that you choose to chase after an idiot who will never return your affections. Truly, your lack of understanding of males is most amusing."

Souta hastily got up from the chair, knocking over a pen caddy in his haste. "Um, see you later, Kagome." He rushed to the door, and as he passed Sesshomaru, he put a hand on his shoulder. "You're dead meat," he said and then ran to the door and shut it behind him.

She imagined herself exploding…literally. Lots and lots of little Sesshomaru pieces all over her room. She heard a funny, low moaning sound, only to realize a few seconds later that it was coming from her. Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but then snapped it shut with an audible click of sharp teeth.

His lips twisted into a cruel smirk. "Do my words anger you because they are false? Or do they anger you because you know they are true. Even I, who cares nothing for Inuyasha or you, can see how things are so very clearly. Why can't you?"

As suddenly as it had roared to life inside her, her rage lagged, leaving her feeling exhausted. Kagome sighed.

"Thing is, Sesshomaru…I do see it. I've seen it all along. I know Inuyasha doesn't…like me like THAT. I know he doesn't love me the way I love him. And you know what?" She began to smile. "It doesn't matter, so if you're saying those things to hurt my feelings, don't bother. Hard to break a heart that's already been broken…and it was broken by someone much better than you."

She watched as the cold mask slipped away and confusion clouded his eyes. So sure of yourself, huh? She thought, her smile broadening.

"I do not understand. Why waste your time with such folly?"

"Why are you even asking, Sesshomaru? We both know you don't really care. And like I said, if you're doing this to hurt me, you should stop wasting your time. You can't."

The mask slipped back on so quickly, Kagome wondered if she had even seen his confusion earlier, or if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"My reasons are of no concern to you, and if it will stop your constant prattle, I will take this exam. And…what is a 'plane ticket'?"

Kagome clapped her hands together, her bitterness and anger quickly forgotten. "Good! Thank you, Sesshomaru. A plane ticket is what we're going to need two of in order to get to Chicago, which is in America. A plane is a huge metal cylinder that flies very fast through the air, and you ride in it."

He looked skeptical. "Very well. I can see no reason why your mother would deny you. Surely, she does not want her daughter to remain youkai."

"Yeah, I know, but it is a lot of money. Anyway, don't worry about that, just worry about the test, because if you fail-"

Sesshomaru snorted. "Wench, I will not fail."

"Fine, but I just want you to really focus. It may not be important to you, but it is to me."

With a graceful lift of his shoulders, he shrugged, and then left the room.

Sesshomaru drew himself a bath, arms around his waist, teeth chattering. Damn, weak, human body, he thought miserably. The room was not even that cold, and here he stood, shivering. Before, he could have stood in knee-deep snow, naked as the day, and not even batted an eye. Pathetic.

With a sniff of disdain, he glanced at his discarded clothes. He was loath to put the filthy, indecent kimono back on, but when he had gone to the wench's room to ask for more clothes, he heard sniffling from behind the closed door. She was crying.

He had smiled in triumph, knowing that his words had indeed affected her. But the smile was quickly lost, and now he stood, staring at his toes (which were painted a hideous shade of bright pink), feeling a very odd emotion.

For a long while, he was not even certain what emotion it was. Then it dawned on him. He felt guilty. When he finally managed to rationalize the guilt away, he felt stupid.

The bitch was in possession of his body, where did the ridiculous idea to insult her come from? What if she just took off and left him as he was when she realized how superior her youkai and MALE body was. No tampons either, he thought, giving the little, white string a tug, his face twisted in disgust.

His breath hitched as a wave of crushing emotion swept over him. Sesshomaru blinked rapidly, blaming the onslaught of tears on his rampant female emotions and future shock. Despair, he mused, this is what it is like to lose all hope. He was certain the bitch would keep his body.

There was a soft knock on the door. Sesshomaru got in the tub, ducked down in the water, and scrubbed furiously at his face.

"You okay in there?" It was the wench.

The door cracked open and she poked her head in. He took note of her puffy eyes and red nose, lip curling in disgust. How he hated the way she made his face look.

"Just fine!" he snapped.

"You're lying. I smelled tears, and I must say, your sense of smell is just incredible. Sometimes, I think I can smell emotions! Which is…kinda weird, but cool none-the-less."

He snorted. "Indeed. I merely had something in my eye, which caused it to tear. Your concern is not only not needed, but misplaced as well. Leave me be."

The wench sighed. "There is no shame in crying, Sesshomaru. You must be pretty freaked out. I know I am."

He put his chin on his drawn up knees. "Yes, this is most unpleasant."

She did not speak for a while, but he heard her shift on her feet. Finally, she seemed to muster up the courage.

"I've been doing some thinking about what you said…and in a weird sort of way…I think you were almost complimenting me. So…I should be the one to apologize."

He quirked a brow at her. "Compliment?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I don't know my worth, isn't that what you were trying to say? So, that implies that I have some. So, I'm sorry and thank you."

Sesshomaru bit back a scathing reply, firmly reminding himself that insulting her was stupid and quite possibly dangerous. "Very well. This Sesshomaru apologizes for…for being so harsh."

That seemed satisfactory to him. Surely, she would leave now.

He was wrong. The wench's eyes were shining with tears and she came to sit on the edge of the tub.

"Oh, but you were right! I am a fool! I'm a big dummy! Why do I keep wasting my time and hoping?"

Because, he thought, you're human? Instead, he said, "It is easier to hope. Giving up is painful."

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, that must be it. Sometimes, I feel like I can't give up…which…isn't really healthy, is it?"

"I suppose not. However, being stubborn can have its advantages." He was going to say something more since it seemed this conversation was going well, when the wench leaned very close to him and gave him a long sniff.

She jumped up and pointed a finger at him. "Ha! I knew it!"

Sesshomaru suddenly felt very awkward, and very naked.

"I smell fine! Not filthy, or bad! In fact, I think I smell nice. Men!" With that, she flounced out of the bathroom, leaving Sesshomaru questioning her sanity.

Sesshomaru did some more studying, ignored three perfectly reasonable questions, and then fell asleep at her desk, face buried in her textbook.

Kagome sat on the edge of her bed, winding a lock of pale hair around her claw tipped finger. She really wanted her body back. Wanted it back so bad it made her chest hurt. Inuyasha must be worried sick, she thought in a sudden rush of panic.

She had thought of going back and trying to rationally explain everything, but she somehow doubted Inuyasha would give her a chance. Especially not now. Kagome sighed.

First things first, she told herself, mouth thinning into a hard line. The test, then find a way to get plane tickets, get statue, ask it nicely to give us our bodies back, then back to the past. Kagome nodded as she mentally checked off each thing in her head. Yes, good plan. Plans were good.

Sesshomaru was snoring softly…and drooling on her book. Kagome stifled a giggle and approached him quietly. She scooped him up in her arms, marveling at how light her body felt and mentally making a note to tell Inuyasha to never complain about carrying her again. Gently, she laid Sesshomaru down on her bed and pulled the covers up to his chin.

She felt guilty suddenly. The whole tampon thing…it had been really mean of her to let him figure it out on his own…mean and stupid. She hoped he was treating her…girly bits appropriately. Terrible visions of filthiness and toxic shock syndrome made her sway on her feet.

Kagome suppressed the urge to bend down and give Sesshomaru's crotch a good, long sniff, and vowed to just make sure she told him to change the tampon regularly.

That is going to be an awkward conversation, she thought glumly.

When Sesshomaru woke as the horrible, screeching 'alarm clock' sounded, he noticed that he was in the wench's bed and said wench was gone.

He fought the urge to panic, reasoning that the human body he was in did not like mornings at all, and decided to get dressed.

Sesshomaru eyed the wench's indecent kimono, and promptly decided he would not be wearing THAT. The very thought of human men ogling him in any way made him dizzy and ill.

Rummaging through the wench's wardrobe, he found a long skirt and a shirt with a high neck and long sleeves. He thought that those clothes were appropriate, and donned them.

Just as he was about to set out in search of the woman, the door to the bedroom opened and she walked in. Sesshomaru's entire body went rigid in horrific dismay.

The wretched bitch had clad his body in very short pants that did not even fall to the knees, and was currently without a shirt.

She was ignoring his horror, he decided. She gave him a bright smile.

"Good morning, Sesshomaru! Ready for the-" Her voice trailed off and she gave him an appraising look, her eyes widening, her mouth dropping open. "What are you wearing?"

He raised his chin. "Something decent and proper…which is more than I can say for you. Tell me, wench, do you enjoy the sight of this Sesshomaru's naked flesh so much that you insist on parading about without much in the way of clothing?"

"What? No! It was just so hot last night and I wanted to be comfortable. But that's beside the point! You are not leaving this house looking like that!"

Sesshomaru stood and smoothed the long skirt. "Oh? And what is wrong with how I look?"

"My grandmother bought those, and they are…well, they are really hideous. Also…not my school uniform." Kagome pointed to the indecent kimono he had discarded on the floor.

He snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "I refuse to wear that and be ogled, or have people assume that I am some sort of woman with loose moral character."

The wench pinched the bridge of her nose and took in a great, deep breath. "Okay. Fine. You win. I'll get dressed, and then we have to go."

Sesshomaru nodded, giving her a rare half-smile. She did not seem to notice, but left the room in a tizzy. He was doing her a favor, really. Perhaps the girl did not have enough sense to know how very appealing her legs…

He groaned. Sesshomaru was certain he had not just thought that the bitch's legs were appealing. Because they were not. Neither were her breasts, her very perky breasts, or her very round bottom. No. Not in the slightest, not ever. In fact, he had never noticed. Not once.

After being gone for some time, the wench came back into the room.

Sesshomaru felt the earth pitch wildly under his feet, his breath leave his body in a single, great whoosh, and his stomach fill with ice water.

The horrid girl had painted his face. Her lips were bright red, and glossy. The cheeks were heavily rouged. She kept the very short pants on, but had, for some reason he could not begin to discern, painted bright red stars, the same shade as her lips, over his nipples. But that was not the worst of it.

His hair! She had pulled it back into a giant, pink bow. The bitch gave him a shit-eating grin, and spun around in a circle.

"Don't I just look adorable! I think I like what I've done with your nipples the best."

Sesshomaru was trembling. "I see what this is. Revenge. Revenge for all the times I hurt your precious, disgusting hanyou. Revenge for trying to kill you. Truly, I had not thought you this sadistic."

Impotent rage gnawed at his guts. He wanted desperately to tear her thrice-damned head off. Oh, and he would one day. He would spit down the stump of her neck when he was done too. But now…now he could do nothing.

His words had no effect on her what so ever. She was still smiling broadly, and now, much to his dismay, was dancing quite suggestively, swaying her hips, and shaking her posterior.

"Nope! Not revenge. Just fair play. You make me look stupid, I make you look stupid."

She grabbed his hand, pulling him after her. Sesshomaru struggled in vain to escape. "Where are you taking me, madwoman?"

The wench grabbed him around his waist and threw him over one, bare shoulder. "Outside, silly!"

"What? Wait! No!"

She stopped walking. "Why, what's the matter? You don't like how I look?"

Sesshomaru let his body go limp. The bitch had won, beat him at his own game. He could not decide who was more pathetic, her for being a stupid human, or him for letting a stupid human trick him.

"I'll wear what you want me to, bitch." He could barely speak.

Kagome sat him down, and patted his shoulder. Sesshomaru flinched, his small hands curling into fists. Weak fists that could do no real damage. He wished he could just blink out of existence, but Fate, as he had thought before, was indeed cruel…and hated him.

"That's the spirit, Sesshomaru. Better hurry and get changed! Don't want to be late for class!" She gave him a wink and bounded out of the room, but not before tossing that indecent white and green kimono at him.


End file.
